Chapter 198 Thomas's Pursuit

After staying in Chelsea for a long time, Thomas no longer has the joy and enthusiasm he had when he first arrived, so he has become a little depressed recently.

Looking back, a year ago, he was still a substitute goalkeeper for the Wolverhampton youth team. At that time, even in the youth team, he still had few opportunities to play, and the club was not optimistic about his future. But too many things happened in the past year, including hard training in Wolverhampton, the sadness of parting with good friends, being ignored in Bristol Rovers, and then his success in the English League One.

It can be said that the reason why Thomas was discovered by Chelsea scouts and came to this club that he had never dared to think about before was partly due to Wang Li's contribution, but most of it was due to his own efforts. During this year, the efforts Thomas made to realize his football dream were absolutely unimaginable for ordinary people.

When Thomas first arrived at Stamford Bridge, he felt that he was already very satisfied. He was the first substitute, and this achievement was definitely something to be proud of. But after more than ten days, he felt a little bored.

As a substitute goalkeeper, it is really difficult to get a chance to play in official matches. Unlike other positions in the team, few teams will choose to replace the goalkeeper during the game, because this position requires the most stable performance, and the whole game will not consume too much physical strength, so it is very likely that a main goalkeeper will play all the game time in a season.

So, Thomas feels that it is really difficult for him to get a chance to play in Chelsea.

In this case, Thomas had another idea. He wanted the club to loan him out before the summer transfer window closed. Even if he went to a League One team, it would be better than not having a chance to play at Chelsea. In that case, he could at least start all the time, prove his strength with his performance, and enhance his game experience. In fact, Thomas had another idea---

If he can win the favor of England coach Eriksson with his performance, then he will have a chance to join the national team.

This was also his childhood dream.

The day before the game between Chelsea and Aston Villa, Thomas walked into Chelsea's office building alone and came to the head coach's room. He was in awe of this strict Portuguese. To be frank, he was always a little timid in front of Mourinho, but for his future and dream, he still went in.

In the room, Mourinho was sitting at his desk, frowning as he looked at a stack of documents. Thomas felt a little uneasy after he walked in. He encouraged himself in his heart, and then said, "Boss, I have something I want to discuss with you."

Mourinho hammered his forehead with his hand, closed his eyes tightly, and looked up at Thomas. "Sit down, Thomas, don't be too restrained. Is it about the contract?"

Mourinho knew a little about this new goalkeeper. In fact, Thomas' transfer was controlled by him. However, at that time, he only regarded Thomas as the team's third goalkeeper and placed him in the reserve team as a supplement. Therefore, the salary stated in the signed contract was only 4,000 pounds per week. Without a doubt, this was the minimum salary in the first team. Even many players in the youth team earned more than Thomas.

Later, after seeing the performance of this big white guy on the training ground, Mourinho realized that he had underestimated him. With this kid's ability, he could even play as the main goalkeeper in a second-rate Premier League team.

"No, boss, I'm very satisfied with the current contract." Thomas, feeling a little uneasy, immediately waved his hand and replied. Seeing Mourinho's eyes, he still said timidly: "I want to ask if the club can loan me to other clubs."

Mourinho was stunned when he heard Thomas' answer, and couldn't help asking: "Why?"

"Boss, you know, I'm just the second goalkeeper in Chelsea now. Although I was included in the team's roster for the first two games, it's still difficult for me to get a chance to play." After bringing up the subject, Thomas expressed his thoughts fluently.

After listening to Thomas' explanation, Mourinho nodded as if he understood. In fact, no one likes to be the second goalkeeper. This is different from substitutes in other positions of the team, because goalkeepers rarely have the opportunity to play in the game, which means there is no chance to display their strength.

Looking at the expression of the big man in front of him, Mourinho smiled lightly and explained slowly: "I think you don't have to worry about this. The league has just started. This season, Chelsea's schedule is very tight. In addition to the league, there are also the FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, etc. The club's goal is of course to win every championship, so the team will face the pressure of fighting on three or even four fronts, and there will definitely be many opportunities to play."

Thomas frowned in confusion. Without any experience in playing for a top team, it was hard for him to understand how many games there were. And it was indeed a bit outrageous for a team to win so many championships in one season. "So, Boss, do you mean that the team's goal this year is to win all the championships?"

"Of course." Mourinho answered affirmatively. Although this seemed irrational to others, as a championship coach who had just won the treble, after coming to Chelsea, with sufficient support from pounds, it was not surprising to set this goal.

Besides, the generous Russian had the same idea as him. If he wasn't fighting for all the championships, why would he have poached Mourinho and spent so many pounds?

"Okay, thanks, boss." After getting the answer he wanted, Thomas stood up and prepared to return to the court to continue training.

"Don't think about other things, train well and stay in shape, and you will definitely have a chance." Mourinho added behind him as he watched Thomas walk towards the door.

"Yeah, I understand."

In fact, Mourinho is not a patient person.

If it was someone else, such as goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini, who came to him to tell him about this, the Portuguese would definitely be furious and directly kick him out of the team during the winter transfer window. However, Thomas is different. In Mourinho's mind, Thomas is the future pillar of Chelsea. Even this season, he plans to use a rotation method in other competitions to give Thomas the opportunity to start and increase his game experience, hoping that he can replace Cech to guard Chelsea's goal as soon as possible.

All I can say is that in the professional football circle, strength is the basis of everything. Different strengths will lead to completely different treatments...

When Thomas returned to the training ground, most of the players had left. Only Wang Li and Joe Cole were practicing free kicks on the court. Recently, Wang Li still wanted to improve his free kicks. Although his internal strength has made some breakthroughs, it is still difficult to find the feeling in this regard. The accuracy of his curve balls is still too low.

Seeing Thomas coming out of the office building, Wang Li kicked the ball towards him and asked with a smile: "What's wrong, Thomas, did you go to see the boss?"

Thomas dodged the flying ball and kept complaining, "Alan, do you want to murder someone?"

"Tell me, what's going on, Thomas?" Wang Li walked over and asked with concern. When he saw Thomas's expression during the morning training, he knew that this kid must have something on his mind.

"Nothing, I just wanted to be loaned to another team, so I went to talk to the boss." Thomas said with a forced smile.

Wang Li frowned, "He agreed?"

"No, he told me that the team will have a lot of games this season, and I will start in many games in the future." Thomas said sincerely.

Wang Li thought about it, and then said directly: "Thomas, I think what the boss said is right. We will definitely have a lot of games in the future. You will definitely have a chance if you stay in Chelsea."

"But I am still a backup goalkeeper, Alan. I don't want to be a backup goalkeeper."

Wang Li nodded and said slowly: "In fact, I think it would be the best choice for you to stay at Chelsea, even as a substitute goalkeeper." Without waiting for Thomas to refute, he continued: "Think about it, even if you are loaned to another team now, if you want to get a starting position directly, it must be a team in the second-tier league. You know, you have been at Bristol Rovers for almost a year last season. What's the point of going there again?"

"Besides, staying at Chelsea doesn't necessarily mean you have no chance. If you perform well in the last game, the boss will most likely let you replace Peter as a starter. I think this head coach is very trustworthy. He is very focused when he works, without any personal feelings. Whoever performs well will have a chance. Don't you still believe in your own abilities?"

After listening to Wang Li's words, Thomas thought about it and felt that it made sense. Then he felt much better. "Okay, but I don't know when it will be my turn to play."

Wang Li smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder, "It will be quick, as long as you work hard."

Thomas picked up the ball at his feet with his hands, threw it into the air, kicked it hard, then said with a smile: "I really hope I can play in the game soon! If one day, I can play in the knockout round of the Champions League, and then save several balls in a row in the penalty shootout and help Chelsea win, haha, that feeling must be great"

"Then what will you do? Yell excitedly at the fans?" Wang Li recalled how excited he was when he scored a goal, then looked at Thomas and asked with interest.

"No, no, Alan, you are too unambitious. By that time, I will be famous, and there will definitely be a lot of female fans throwing themselves at me. Maybe I will also have the chance to change a girlfriend a day and try out the moves in Japanese movies in various poses, hehehehehe."

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